Two Bills Drive

‘Give Buffalo thumbs-up for this pick. It’s not going to be that much of a gamble.’

‘McGahee has an insurance policy that will pay $2.5 million Jan. 3 if he plays in fewer than five games and decides his career is over.’

‘Know this. Few, if any, college players worked harder than Willis McGahee when he was healthy. None worked harder than when he was rehabbing.’

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‘"We think that we drafted some players that add to our depth and add to our competition at positions. Hopefully we’ll continue to find players that can make us better on special teams."’

‘Was it a good pick? It’s certainly a risky one, seeing that McGahee will be playing on artificial turf and in cold weather, something he didn’t do at Miami. This one is a gamble on greatness as McGahee was considered a Top 5 pick before his injury. McGahee will likely sit out the 2003 season after undergoing ACL knee surgery, so his impact probably won’t be seen until 2004.’

‘The Bills, who will hold a rookie minicamp next weekend, will complete stocking their roster with several undrafted free agents, which are expected to be announced on Monday.’

”’I didn’t want it to make it look like our phones weren’t ringing,” Rosenhaus said Sunday. ”Willis and I had a little chat to create the perception that we weren’t waiting for teams to call us.”’

Watching Terrence McGee set the NCAA Division I-AA career record for punt return average while starting four years in the Northwestern State secondary, Demons’ fans who have seen their share of future pro football stars felt McGee was destined for the NFL.

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McGee is in a group of cornerbacks whom The Sporting News said “have the skills to develop into a starting nickel slot cornerback on the NFL,” although not as good as highly rated first-round prospects Terence Newman of Kansas State, Marcus Trufant of Washington State and Andre Woolfolk of Oklahoma.

It’s that package of characteristics that is likely to put Aiken among the best receivers eligible for the 2003 NFL Draft. The main question raised by scouts is his speed. That’s because Aiken isn’t particularly fast, at least in the stopwatch-crazy world of the NFL. His 40-yard dash has been timed at 4.5, which isn’t plodding, but it’s also not blazing. As teams have learned in recent years, however, games aren’t won on a track, they’re won by making plays. And if Aiken continues to make plays at the same rate that he did during the first month of the season, when he averaged over 20 yards per catch and 109 yards per game, he’ll hear his name called early in the NFL Draft.

Has a thick frame that can still add additional bulk in the upper body…Has the balance and lateral agility needed make plays working down the line…Reads, recognizes and reacts to the play with no hesitation, showing the natural instincts to jump the snap count and draw the blockers off-side.

“This is shocking for me. I have wanted to play in the league for a long time and a lot of people didn’t think I was going to get drafted. I am thankful to the Lord for giving me the opportunity to get drafted. I’m especially thankful I will be playing for the Buffalo Bills, it’s a dream come true.”

‘"He’s in a situation where he can contribute right away," said Aiken’s agent, Alvin Keels. "They run a lot of three-receiver sets and with Drew Bledsoe at quarterback it’s a situation where he can flourish. If you don’t go in the first round, then you just want to go to a team where you can flourish, and that’s what happened for Sam."’